Server Related Technical Details

AHCI (ADVANCED HOST CONTROLLER INTERFACE)

2008-08-21T02:11:00.000-07:00

The (AHCI) specification describes the register-level interface for a Host Controller for Serial ATA 1.0a and Serial ATA II.

Scope:

AHCI encompasses a PCI device.
It contains a PCI BAR (Base Address Register)
to implement native SATA features.

AHCI specifies the following features :

o Support for 32 ports
o 64-bit addressing
o Elimination of Master / Slave Handling
o Large LBA support
o Hot Plug
o Power Management
o HW Assisted Native Command Queuing
o Staggered Spin-up
o Cold device presence detect
o Serial ATA superset registers
o Activity LED generation
o Port Multiplier

Requirements for AHCI :

Intel® Matrix Storage Technology software
Hard drive(s) that supports NCQ
Intel® chipsets using a controller hub that supports AHCI

AHCI requires Intel® Matrix Storage Manager Software and is built into chipsets with
the following controller hubs :

Intel® 82801FBM I/O Controller Hub (ICH6M) - AHCI only
Intel® 82801GHM I/O Controller Hub (ICH7MDH) - RAID only
Intel® 82801GBM I/O Controller Hub (ICH7M) - AHCI only
Intel® 82801GR I/O Controller Hub (ICH7R) - RAID and AHCI
Intel® 82801HR/HH/HO I/O Controller Hub (ICH8R) - RAID and AHCI
Intel® 82801FR I/O Controller Hub (ICH6R) - RAID and AHCI
Intel® 82801GH I/O Controller Hub (ICH7DH) - RAID and AHCI
Intel® 631xESB/632xESB I/O Controller Hub - RAID and AHCI

DHCP Relay Agent

2008-04-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

*A DHCP Relay Agent is a computer or router configured to listen for DHCP/Bootp broadcost from DHCP clients and then Relay those messages to DHCP servers on Different subnets

* non RFG 1542..

1. Client 1 broadcaast a DHCP Discover packets

2. Relay agent forwards the DHCP Discover message to the DHCP server

3. Server sends a DHCP Offer message to the DHCP relay agent

4.Relay agent broadcost the Disk offer packets

5.Client1 Broadcast DHCP Request Packets .

6 Relay agent Forward DHCP Request Msg to DHCP server

7. Server sends DHCP Packets and Reply to Relay agent ..

This is done for every tranmitting and receiving ..

DHCP Relay Agents Uses Hop count :

The boot thereshhold is the lenth of time in seconds

ie, no.of router jump and reach the destination

DHCP relay Agent uses Boot Thereshold :

A Boot thereshold time in second the Relays can wait till acknowledge from DHCP Server Before forwarding the request

Install DHCP:

Go Run > dhcpmgmt.msc

Bensley Platform -- The Architectural overview of the Platform:

2008-03-28T22:06:00.001-07:00

The Architectural overview of the Platform

The MCH connects up to 16 fully buffered DIMMs (four memory channels with upto four DIMMs per channel).
This provides 8.5GB/s of write memory bandwidth and 17 GB/s of read memory bandwidth when DDR2 533MHz memory is used and when DDR2 667 MHz memory is used, the write bandwidth can be 10.7 GB/s and the read bandwidth can be 21.3GB/s.
In Fully Buffered DIMM read and the write operation can be done simultaneously, so the total memory bandwidth is 25.5GB/s for 533MHz and the 32.0GB/s for 667MHz.
The MCH can provide a maximum of six x4 PCI Express interface and one x4 ESI interface to the ESB2.
It is also possible to configure certain x4 interface pairs into a single x8 interface.
Each PCI Express port on the MCH provides 4GB/s bidirectional bandwidth when configure as an x8 port or 2GB/s bidirectional bandwidth when configured as an x4 port.
In addition to these performance features, Bensley platforms also provide a wide range of RAS features such as memory interface ECC, x4/x8 single Device Data correction, CRC, Parity protection, out of band via SMBus, memory mirroring , memory sparring and Hot plug support on PCI Express interface.

Bensley Platform -- Summary

2008-03-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

Summary:

The Bensley platform will be a landmark product launch.
Bensley will be a competitive server and workstation offering and the first good product based on Intel's dual core MPUs.
The technical improvements to look forward in Bensley platform:
- dual front side buses and the first implementation of FB-DIMMs.
- We have seen in the paper how the dual independent Bus and FBD's pioneer Bensley platforms to have edge over all the current Intel's platforms.

Bensley Platform -- The Architectural overview of the Platform:

2008-03-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

The Architectural overview of the Platform

Let's take for our Illustration, an Architecture compromising the Blackford chipset (North Bridge) with the South Bridge, ESB2.
Here the Blackford chipset is paired with the Dempsey processor and is comprised of the Blackford Memory controller Hub (MCH), the Enterprise south Bridge 2(ESB2) and the I/O system.
This MCH is configured for symmetric multiprocessing across two independent front side bus interface that connect to the Dempsey processor.
This dual Independent bus architecture gives an improved performance by allowing increased front side bus speeds and Bandwidth.
Each front side bus on the MCH can operate at 64bit wide and the maximum of 1333 FSB (In case of Woodcrest Processor and 1066 FSB in case of Dempsey Processor) data bus and capable of transferring data at 8.5GB/s for a total bandwidth of 17GB/s.
The MCH supports a 36-bit wide address bus, capable of addressing upto 64GB of memory

Bensley Platform -- Major Components of Bensley Platform

2008-03-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

Processor:

This processor is intended for high performance workstation and server systems. Several architectural and micro-architectural enhancements have been added to this processor including dual processor core in the processor package, an increased L2 cache size and a new instruction cache.
This Platform supports Multi- Core Intel Xeon processor of 5000 sequence which is made up of 65nm process technology.
This is a FC- LGA 771 socket based processor.
Each processor will have 4MB of L2 cache.
This Dual Core Intel Xeon processors 5000 sequence supports the system bus speeds of 667 MHz, 1066 MHz, and 1333 MHz
There are two types of processors are available that support this platform.
One is Dempsey processor and the other one is Woodcrest processor.
Dempsey processors ( refer Fig (4)) support maximum of 1066 FSB with dedicated 2MB L2 cache for each core and Woodcrest processors (refer Fig (5)) support the maximum of 1333 FSB with a 4MB of Shared L2 cache.

Bensley Platform -- Major Components of Bensley Platform

2008-03-28T08:14:00.001-07:00

Using serial communication the number of wires needed to connect the chipset to the memory module is lower and also allows the creating of more memory channels, what increases memory performance.
With FB-DIMM technology it is possible to have up to eight modules per channel and up to six memory channels.
So this technology increases both memory capacity and speed.
Each extra memory channel that is added to the system increases the memory subsystem transfer rate.
For example, if you use a single DDR2-533 channel, the memory transfer rate will be of 4,264 MB/s.
If you use two DDR2-533 channels, as it happens on dual channel configuration available today, the memory transfer rate will be of 8,528 MB/s.
With four channels, the memory transfer rate jumps to 17,056 MB/s, and so on.
FB-DIMM serial communication uses 10 pairs of wires between the chipset and the memory sockets and 12 or 14 pairs of wires between the memory sockets and the chipset (Refer Fig 3).
Each pair of wires use differential transmission, i.e. the signal is transmitted on a wire and the same signal but inverted is transmitted on the other wire from the pair, using the same idea used on twisted pair networking cables.
This is done to ensure that the receiver is getting the data correctly.
Another important aspect of FB-DIMM is that it uses different paths for data transmission and data reception.
Standard DIMM modules use the same path to both transmit and receive data.
The system used on FB-DIMM modules helps to increase the performance of the memory subsystem

Bensley Platform -- Major Components of Bensley Platform

2008-03-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

Memory

Fully Buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM) technology, new memories interconnect solution for server platforms.
FB-DIMM provides significant capacity and bandwidth improvements over existing DDR, DDR2 based systems.
FB-DIMM also provides enhanced RAS capabilities, a key requirement for server platforms..
FB-DIMM (Fully Buffered DIMM) is a memory module technology targeted to servers developed recently created in order to increase the memory speed and the maximum memory capacity of a server (refer Fig 2) .
The main difference between FB-DIMM modules and regular DIMM modules is that on FB-DIMM the communication between the memory controller (chipset) and the module is serial, in the same way that occurs with PCI Express, while on standard DIMM modules this communication is parallel.

Bensley Platform --Major Components of Bensley Platform:

2008-03-28T08:13:00.001-07:00

The Enterprise south bridge (ESB2)

The Enterprise south bridge (ESB2) provides widely integrated I/O functionality, including features previously provided by the Intel ICH6, Intel 6700PXH 64bit PCI hub and the Baseboard management controller components.
The ESB2 component provides the data buffering and interface arbitration required to ensure that system interfaces operate efficiently and provide the bandwidth necessary to enable the system to obtain peak performance.
The ESB2 provides extensive I/O support, It's functionality and capabilities include:

- x4 / x8 PCI express dual interface to MCH at 1GB/s in each direction at full duplex

- Four PCI express root ports can be statically configured as 4x1 or 1x4; based on Hot plug supporting these ports

- PCI Express and PCI Power management support

- ACPI power management logic support

- Low pin count interface

Firmware Hub interface support

Bensley Platform

2008-03-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

Major Components of Bensley Platform:

Chipsets

Chipsets plays a major role in the Bensley platform. As of now, we have three types of north bridge chipsets, viz.

(1) Blackford Performance based Chipset

(2) Blackford-VS Value added Chipset

(3) Green creek Workstation based Chipset.

While the South Bridge will be ESB2 which will be common for all the three NB's mentioned above but with the utilization of the Chipset features will be in accordance with the needs of the Platform (whether it is performance or Value added or Workstation)

Bensley Platform

2008-03-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

Bensley Platform- A Comparitive Understanding

Intel's shared bus architecture has several advantages; it is simple, easy to implement, cheap, and it is quite effective for two processor systems.
However, when you have four CPUs on a single shared bus, there is not a lot of bandwidth to go around and there is an increase in cache coherency traffic to boot.
All together, this makes Intel's shared bus a suboptimal solution for four processors or more.
Fortunately, Intel has gone to great lengths to address these issues in Bensley.
Figure 1 above shows a comparison of the Lindenhurst platform to the Bensley platform.
The main focus will be on the buses and the memory subsystem.
The figure is self Illustrative and throws a comparative understanding with on going Lindenhurst platform architectures.

Bensley Platform -- Why Bensley platform?

2008-03-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

Why Bensley platform?

Intel's first venture into CMP server designs is the Paxville DP, which is currently available from the major system builders.
Paxville is a shared package design that uses the Lindenhurst chipset, and to some degree it is backward compatible with existing systems.
The main weakness of Paxville is that it relies on an older system architecture that was not intended for dual core processors.
While Paxville is certainly a viable upgrade path for older systems, it is quite clear that another platform will be needed to fully take advantage of dual core MPUs.
That platform will be the Bensley platform.

Bensley Platform -- What is Bensley platform?

2008-03-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

What is Bensley platform?

The Bensley platform is a combination of the new generation chipset called Blackford, the Dempsey processor and some associated software and drivers.

The key features which truly mark Bensley as a high performance platform are the independent front side buses and the FB-DIMM memory subsystem.

At the same time, Intel will also integrate many of the harder to quantify factors into the Bensley platform such as RAS and manageability features.

White Paper on Bensley Platform

2008-03-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

White paper on Bensley Platform:

Intorduction :

The White paper aims to show the features and components of Intel's next generation server platforms called Bensley. The paper focus on following points;

Bensley platforms- What & Why's
Components - Chipsets, Memory & CPU.
Architectural Overview of the Platform

4. Assigning Dialing rules

2008-03-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

For accessing the RAS through the intercom we had to change the connection properties. On the general property we enable the dialing rules and the phone no given was a intercom no to which the RAS was connected.

3.User Creation and assigning Dial-in permission

2008-03-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

For dialing from the client machine:- Right click on the icon for dialing è Connect

Then give the user name and password. Put the no to be dialed.

3.User Creation and assigning Dial-in permission

2008-03-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

Providing access to the user for dialing in to the machine. Right click on the user and go to the properties. Click on the tab Dial-in and check on the option and Remote Access Permission (Dial-in or VPN) to Allow access.

3.User Creation and assigning Dial-in permission

2008-03-27T06:43:00.000-07:00

New user creation

3.User Creation and assigning Dial-in permission

2008-03-27T06:42:00.001-07:00

3. User Creation and assigning Dial-in permission

For dial up access the user should be having an account in the RAS server with the permission for dial in access.

To make the user with the dial-in access. The path as follows

My computer è (Rt click ) ManageèLocal Users and Groups

3.Dial up configuration at the client end

2008-03-27T03:39:00.000-07:00

Then assign the user who can use. We have selected anyone use.

With this the wizard finishes. Check on the option to add an icon on the desktop.

3.Dial up configuration at the client end

2008-03-27T03:38:00.001-07:00

Then we have to give a connection name

3.Dial up configuration at the client end

2008-03-27T03:38:00.000-07:00

Then give the phone no to dial

3.Dial up configuration at the client end

2008-03-27T03:37:00.000-07:00

Then after selecting the type of connection we have to select the way to connect to the inter network. We have selected the Dial-up connection.

3.Dial up configuration at the client end

2008-03-27T03:34:00.000-07:00

After clicking Next button the wizard will ask about the type of network connection.

3.Dial up configuration at the client end

2008-03-27T03:32:00.000-07:00

Then Double clicking on the New connection Wizard will bring the New Connection wizard,

3.Dial up configuration at the client end

2008-03-27T03:31:00.000-07:00

Dial up configuration at the client end

This was the installation of the modem driver, then we had to configure the dial-up connection

For that we have to make new connections. Follow the path My Network Places ( Right Click )è Propertiesè New connection Wizard

2. Modem driver installation

2008-03-27T03:30:00.000-07:00

after finishing up the wizard the modem driver appeared on installed modem list.

2. Modem driver installation

2008-03-27T03:28:00.000-07:00

The used serial port for modem was COM1 and that was selected.

2. Modem driver installation

2008-03-27T03:27:00.000-07:00

We had selected the standard 33600 bps Modem driver

2. Modem driver installation

2008-03-27T03:25:00.000-07:00

Then we have to install the modem driver for the modem. We were using a multi-tech modem of 33.6Kbps. We installed the standard 33.6 Kbps driver for the modem.

2. Modem driver installation

2008-03-27T03:24:00.000-07:00

In the client side we have to configure the dial up connection. For that we require the modem driver to be installed and the dial up is to be configured.

2.Modem Driver Installation :

Path for the modem driver installation

Start Menu è Settingsè Control PanelèPhone and Modem (Double Click)

The wizard will ask for the country name and the area code we entered India, and area code as 0120. It will also ask for tone or pulse dialing. As our local PBX doesn't support tone dialing we selected pulse dialing.

1. Routing and Remote access services to be enabled and configured at the server end.

2008-03-27T03:20:00.000-07:00

After Completing the configuration the red mark on the server will turn to green as shown in the figure

1. Routing and Remote access services to be enabled and configured at the server end.

2008-03-27T03:11:00.000-07:00

Now in the next window click finish to complete the Routing and Remote Access Server setup wizard.

1. Routing and Remote access services to be enabled and configured at the server end.

2008-03-27T03:10:00.000-07:00

Now the next window will ask for setting the server to work with a RADIUS server, we have selected not to do so.

1. Routing and Remote access services to be enabled and configured at the server end.

2008-03-27T03:09:00.000-07:00

Assign the IP range by adding new range or by editing existing range.

1. Routing and Remote access services to be enabled and configured at the server end.

2008-03-27T03:08:00.000-07:00

After pressing Next the next window will ask for the IP addresses for assigning to the remote clients. We have selected the option "from a specified range of IP addresses".

1. Routing and Remote access services to be enabled and configured at the server end.

2008-03-27T03:07:00.000-07:00

Then pressing next the wizard asked about the type of server i.e. VPN or Dial-up, we have selected Dial-up

1. Routing and Remote access services to be enabled and configured at the server end.

2008-03-27T03:06:00.000-07:00

After pressing Next, server configuration window was displayed and we have selected Remote Access (dial-up or VPN) to enable the Remote Access Services.

1. Routing and Remote access services to be enabled and configured at the server end.

2008-03-27T03:02:00.000-07:00

After selecting the Configure Routing and Remote Access, Routing and Remote Access Setup wizard will appear on the screen. Press Next button to continue

1.Routing and Remote access services to be enabled and configured at the server end.

2008-03-27T03:00:00.000-07:00

For configuring the RAS server Right clickè Configure and Enable Routing and Remote Access

Routing and remote access window

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Routing and remote access window:

1. Routing and Remote access services to be enabled and configured at the server end.

2008-03-27T02:07:00.000-07:00


	After accessing the remote access service the red mark on the server shows that the remote access is to be configured

When to Use FAT or FAT32

2008-03-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

If you're running more than one operating system on a single computer you will definitely need to format some of your volumes as FAT.
Any programs or data that need to be accessed by more than one operating system on that computer should be stored on a FAT16 or possibly FAT32 volume.
But keep in mind that you have no security for data on a FAT16 or FAT32 volume—any one with access to the computer can read, change, or even delete any file that is stored on a FAT16 or FAT32 partition.
In many cases, this is even possible over a network. So do not store sensitive files on drives or partitions formatted with FAT file systems.
1. Close all open applications. This process may require a reboot, so be prepared.
2. Click Start, click Run, and then type cmd, and press Enter.
3. In the command windows, type:
convert D: /FS:NTFS
4. Press Enter.

The Advantages of NTFS

2008-03-26T08:18:00.001-07:00

The NTFS file system, introduced with first version of Windows NT, is a completely different file system from FAT.

It provides for greatly increased security, file–by–file compression, quotas, and even encryption.

It is the default file system for new installations of Windows XP, and if you're doing an upgrade from a previous version of Windows, you'll be asked if you want to convert your existing file systems to NTFS.

Don't worry. If you've already upgraded to Windows XP and didn't do the conversion then, it's not a problem.

You can convert FAT16 or FAT32 volumes to NTFS at any point.

Just remember that you can't easily go back to FAT or FAT32 (without reformatting the drive or partition), not that I think you'll want to

The Advantages of NTFS

2008-03-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

The NTFS file system, introduced with first version of Windows NT, is a completely different file system from FAT.
It provides for greatly increased security, file–by–file compression, quotas, and even encryption.
It is the default file system for new installations of Windows XP, and if you're doing an upgrade from a previous version of Windows, you'll be asked if you want to convert your existing file systems to NTFS.
Don't worry. If you've already upgraded to Windows XP and didn't do the conversion then, it's not a problem.
You can convert FAT16 or FAT32 volumes to NTFS at any point.
Just remember that you can't easily go back to FAT or FAT32 (without reformatting the drive or partition), not that I think you'll want to

NTFS

2008-03-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

An optional file system for Windows NT, 2000 and XP operating systems.
NTFS is the more advanced file system, compared to FAT32.
It improves performance and is required in order to implement numerous security and administrative features in the OS.
For example, NTFS supports Active Directory domain names and provides file encryption. Permissions can be set at the file level rather than by folder, and individual users can be assigned disk space quotas.
NTFS is designed to log activity and recover on the fly from hard disk crashes.
It also supports the Unicode character set and allows file names up to 255 characters in length

FAT32

2008-03-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

The FAT32 file system, originally introduced in Windows 95 Service Pack 2, is really just an extension of the original FAT16 file system that provides for a much larger number of clusters per partition.
As such, it greatly improves the overall disk utilization when compared to a FAT16 file system.
However, FAT32 shares all of the other limitations of FAT16, and adds an important additional limitation—many operating systems that can recognize FAT16 will not work with FAT32—most notably Windows NT, but also Linux and UNIX as well.
Now this isn't a problem if you're running FAT32 on a Windows XP computer and sharing your drive out to other computers on your network

FAT16

2008-03-26T08:15:00.001-07:00

The FAT16 file system was introduced way back with MS–DOS in 1981, and it's showing its age.

It was designed originally to handle files on a floppy drive, and has had minor modifications over the years so it can handle hard disks, and even file names longer than the original limitation of 8.3 characters, but it's still the lowest common denominator.

The biggest advantage of FAT16 is that it is compatible across a wide variety of operating systems, including Windows 95/98/Me, OS/2, Linux, and some versions of UNIX.

The biggest problem of FAT16 is that it has a fixed maximum number of clusters per partition, so as hard disks get bigger and bigger, the size of each cluster has to get larger.

In a 2–GB partition, each cluster is 32 kilobytes, meaning that even the smallest file on the partition will take up 32 KB of space.

FAT16 also doesn't support compression, encryption, or advanced security using access control lists.

FAT16

2008-03-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

The FAT16 file system was introduced way back with MS–DOS in 1981, and it's showing its age.
It was designed originally to handle files on a floppy drive, and has had minor modifications over the years so it can handle hard disks, and even file names longer than the original limitation of 8.3 characters, but it's still the lowest common denominator.
The biggest advantage of FAT16 is that it is compatible across a wide variety of operating systems, including Windows 95/98/Me, OS/2, Linux, and some versions of UNIX.
The biggest problem of FAT16 is that it has a fixed maximum number of clusters per partition, so as hard disks get bigger and bigger, the size of each cluster has to get larger.
In a 2–GB partition, each cluster is 32 kilobytes, meaning that even the smallest file on the partition will take up 32 KB of space.
FAT16 also doesn't support compression, encryption, or advanced security using access control lists.

FAT (file Allocation Table)

2008-03-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

The original file system used in DOS, Windows and OS/2. The FAT keeps track of where data are stored on disk.
When the disk is high-level formatted, the FAT is recorded twice and contains a table with an entry for each disk cluster.
The directory list, which contains file name, extension, date, etc., points to the FAT entry where the file starts.
If a file is larger than one cluster, the first FAT entry points to the next FAT entry where the second cluster of the file is stored and so on to the end of the file. If a cluster becomes damaged, its FAT entry is marked as such and that cluster is not used again.
The original 16-bit version of the FAT (FAT16) supported hard disk partitions as small as a floppy disk up to 4GB and files as large as 2GB. The 32-bit version (FAT32) dramatically increased capacity limits

File systems

2008-03-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

The operating system you use is closely related to the file system that manages your hard disk data. The reason is a simple one: different operating systems use different file systems. Some are designed specifically to work with more than one, for compatibility reasons; others work only with their own file system.

Basics Of Computers

2008-03-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

A computer is a machine that can be programmed to manipulate symbols. and store the user datas ..

Its principal characteristics are:

It responds to a specific set of instructions in a well-defined manner.
It can execute a prerecorded list of instructions (a program).
It can quickly store and retrieve large amounts of data.

Therefore computers can perform complex and repetitive procedures quickly, precisely and reliably. Modern computers are electronic and digital. The actual machinery (wires, transistors, and circuits) is called hardware; the instructions and data are called software. All general-purpose computers require the following hardware components

Central processing unit (CPU): The heart of the computer
Memory (fast, expensive, short-term memory)
Mass storage device (slower, cheaper, long-term memory)
Input device: Usually a keyboard and mouse, the input device is the conduit through which data and instructions enter a computer
Output device: A display screen, printer, or other device that lets you see what the computer has accomplished